On an overcast day in Bradenton, D.C. United earned a comprehensive 6-0 victory over the U.S. U-17 Men's National Team Friday morning. Franco Niell led the way with three goals in 12 minutes during the first half, while Jerson Monteiro, Rod Dyachenko and Marc Burch all tallied in the second half.
"It was a good run for our first attempt," said United Head Coach Tom Soehn. "In both halves we came out flying at 100 miles per hour, so it took us a little while to settle down. We were integrating a lot of new guys, but there were some real positives to take out of this first game."
Niell's first goal came in the 18th minute, when United's newest signing Marcelo Gallardo whipped a corner kick towards the near post. Niell beat his marker to the ball and slotted a quick header past the goalkeeper and into the back corner of the net.
Four minutes later, Niell was on the board again after a sequence that began with Gallardo. The Argentine midfielder lofted a ball behind the defense to rookie midfielder Dan Stratford who sent a controlled header into the middle of the pitch and towards onrushing Niell just outside the goal box. The lofted ball fell in-step with Niell, who struck a first-time volley with the outside of his right foot that curved past the goalkeeper and tucked perfectly into the upper left corner of the net.
Niell would close out the first half scoring in the 30th minute with his third goal after a lofted ball from Jaime Moreno was sent towards Domenic Mediate in the box. Mediate collided with a defender, sending the ball into the air and towards Niell on the back post. The Argentine struck a header past the U.S. goalkeeper who was not able to recover quickly enough to get his hands on the ball.
The second half saw wholesale changes to Soehn's lineup, as every player was subbed off at the midway point.
Though United pressed the attack throughout, the team did not tally its fourth goal until late in the game. In the 78th minute, Clyde Simms collected the ball near midfield and slotted a through ball to a sprinting Monteiro. The forward fought past two defenders and tucked the ball past the outstretched goalkeeper to increase the Black-and-Red's lead.
In the 82nd minute, Dyachenko and Ardalan Attar combined for the team's fifth goal of the day. After collecting the ball just outside the 18-yard box, Dyachenko played a quick give-and-go with Attar, which put the midfielder behind the defense. Dyachenko took one touch to push the ball towards goal and then hit a well-struck ball that careened off the far post and into the net.
Marc Burch would close out the scoring just three minutes from time after the team was awarded a free kick 22 yards from goal. The defender stepped up to the ball and drove a laser into the far corner past the helpless goalkeeper.
United will regroup for a training session Friday afternoon, before a Saturday match with the U.S. U-23 Men's National team, coached by former United skipper Peter Nowak. Kickoff for the scrimmage is set for 10 a.m.
Scoring summary:
DCU - Franco Niell (Marcelo Gallardo) 18
DCU - Franco Niell (Dan Stratford, Marcelo Gallardo) 22
DCU - Franco Niell (unassisted) 30
DCU - Jerson Monteiro (Clyde Simms) 78
DCU - Rod Dyachenko (Ardalan Attar) 82
DCU - Marc Burch (unassisted) 87
Lineup:
Jose Carvallo (James Thorpe 45); Brandon Owens (Bryan Namoff 45), Gonzalo Peralta (Gonzalo Martinez 45), Devon McTavish (Pat Carroll 45), Tony Schmitz (March Burch 45), Domenic Mediate (Jeff Carroll 45, Ardalan Attar 73), Dan Stratford (Clyde Simms 45), Justin Moose (Ryan Cordeiro 45); Marco Niell (Jamil Walker 45), Jaime Moreno (Guy-Roland Kpene 45, Jerson Monteiro 71)
Notes: Three former members of the D.C. United Academy, who are now a part of the U.S. U-17 residency program, will join United for a number of training sessions next week, as Shaquille Phillips, Julio Arjona and Joseph-Claude Gyau will provide additional options for Head Coach Tom Soehn
